Shuurajou Secchuu
by Rikku'sBrunetteDouble
Summary: The fiancé of Kenshin, Tomoe, should have died saving Kenshin’s life. Instead, she survives, and the entire fate of Kenshin is changed. R&R please! This is my first fan-fic, so please give me pointers(My bud Alison can't get an account & must use mine)
1. Let's Go Home

Shuurajou Secchuu

_Shuurajou secchuu,_

_Beni aka zakuro hanagoori._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Chapter One- Let's Go Home**

The assassin stood in the snow, his breath coming out in short, hoarse whispers. His sword suddenly felt heavy in his clutch; his bloodied hand loosened its grip on the sword, and it fell into the snow, its red blade staining the pure white. He dropped to his knees, unaware of what had just happened. His sight was blurred and the scent of blood intoxicated him. His head ached, screaming with thoughts of Tomoe. He heard footsteps in the snow and tensed._ He can't possibly be alive. No, it must be the Shogunate's back-up. Tomoe's brother, Enishi. _He blindly reached for his sword, preparing to strike.

"Kenshin," a soft voice whispered, "are you alright?" The killer felt soft, trembling hands cradle his injured face.

"Tomoe?" His voice came out, barely a whisper. He opened his right eye and saw her. Tomoe's face was as pale as the snow around them and tears dripped down her cold cheeks.

"Kenshin," she said again, her voice soft and soothing. "You're alright!" She threw her arms around his neck, her ebony mane tumbling down her back. Kenshin took in a soft breath; the cold of winter mingled with the scent of blood and white plums.

"Let's go home," Kenshin breathed. Tomoe's warm embrace made his entire body relax and go numb. The thought of home and the sense of security that it brought lingered in his mind.

"Yes," Tomoe sobbed. "Let's go home." Tomoe stood up, her legs weak and trembling. Kenshin looked into her deep black eyes and saw a mix of relief and sorrow. A feeling he could not yet understand, a sensation he had never felt before. He reached for his sword, but a soft hand touched his, holding it away from the weapon.

"Tomoe?" Kenshin looked up at her again, this time with a question in his eyes.

Tomoe smiled weakly. "Remember what I told you? You can be happy with a plot of land and some seeds to plant. You don't need a sword to be happy."

Kenshin's hand dropped from hers and he looked at the carnage. The snow was red, stained with the blood of the Yaminobu. Their lifeless carcasses lay in the snow, pools of crimson growing ever larger around them. _Do you need this blade to be happy? _he asked himself. _Would you be happy with some land and seeds to plant…would you be happy with a family?_

"Tomoe," Kenshin said looking at her outstretched hand, "you're right. This sword, it doesn't bring me happiness only…" His voice trailed off. "Only grief."

He lifted his hand, a hand that had killed so many, yet could be so gentle, and rested it in Tomoe's. He smiled at her and she smiled weakly back. Kenshin stood up and soothingly squeezed Tomoe's hand.

"Let's go home," he said again.

_Let's go home…_

A small fire crackled under the stove, emitting a soft glow throughout the small home. Kenshin sat near the source of weak heat, his red hair gleaming slightly in the fire's light. He was gently dabbing his damaged shoulder with medicine that the Choushu Clan had given to him, to sell in town, to make it less obvious that he was truly an assassin in hiding. _Assassin in hiding…_ The medicine sent a cutting pain through his right arm, disrupting his uninviting thoughts. He grimaced and began to wrap the bandages that he had soaked in hot water and herbs around his deep wound.

"Let me help you," Tomoe said quietly from across the room. She set down the fish she had been preparing with the daikon radishes they had harvested together and quietly padded over to her husband, gracefully sitting behind him. She gently took the wet bandages from his hand and began to wrap his bare shoulder. Kenshin did not realize this, but a lone tear slipped down her cheek. Her heart was heavy with the realization that she had almost seen the man, the man who she had learned to love so much, die. Her eyes flickered onto his back and saw three deep slashes.

"Oh, Kenshin," she whispered, "why did I let them do this to you?" She let her forehead lightly drop onto his shoulder, her fingers gently tracing the lines of the cuts.

At first, he was surprised by her touch, not understanding why she grieved so. Yet, he was calmed at her kind, loving touch. For a long time, Kenshin looked into the embers, thinking about all that had happened and what Tomoe had just said. He could feel her head on his shoulder and her finger running quietly across his back. _I trusted her, then she…she betrayed me. But I still love her more than anything in the world. _He remained silent until he felt a tear roll down his back.

"Tomoe," he said, "I know before we actually fell…in love, you wanted to see my dead body more than anything in the world because I killed the one held so dear. I took everything away from you. I cannot blame you for this. I can only blame myself."

"Don't say that," Tomoe whispered. "I could have stopped this from happening, I could have warned you. I could have told the Shogunate I hadn't gotten to you." Her voice was trembling, full of sorrow and remorse.

"What happened," Kenshin asked, "when you were in the small shrine? Why are you so sad?"

"I saw him," she whispered. "I saw my fiancé. He looked into my eyes and saw my pain. He told me to do what I must to protect the one I love, just like…" Tomoe's voice trailed off and she began to sob uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry," Kenshin said, his voice full of sympathy and concern. "I didn't mean to hurt you any more than I have."

He bowed his head, cursing his actions, and closed his eyes tightly, feeling the tears rolling down his back. Suddenly, he realized the single scar on his left cheek had stopped bleeding.


	2. Iris in the Rain

Hi everybody! I am not Rikku'sBrunetteDouble, just her buddy borrowing her account until I can get my own. You can just call me Bob for now. Also, this is aVERY RARE quick update. I already have the first three chappies so those'll go up quick, but the others will take a while. Anyway, I hope you guys like the story so far... again, please review until my eyes bleed reading them all!

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Samurai X or Rurouni Kenshin… $#.**

**Shuurajou Secchuu**

_Shuurajou secchuu,_

_Beni aka zakuro hanagoori._

**Chapter Two- Iris in the Rain**

Kenshin gently touched the vertical scar that slid down his left cheek. Blood no longer dripped from it. _Tomoe's fiancé…_

_Are you superstitious?_

_No._

_Your wound hasn't healed yet because, even in the afterlife, he is seeking revenge._

_Really?_

_No, it's just an old wives' tale._

Tomoe was still weeping, but quietly now, sensing Kenshin's deep thought. Her finger stopped tracing the line of the scars on his back and let it gently rest on his shoulder.

"Kenshin," she whispered.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry," Tomoe murmured. "I didn't mean to break down like that."

Kenshin let his head drop to the side and rest on hers which was still lying gently on his shoulder. "There's nothing to be sorry about Tomoe," he coaxed. "I think your fiancé…is proud of you."

Tomoe smiled and a final tear rolled down Kenshin's back. She lifted her head and draped her arms around him, letting her chin rest on his shoulder. Kenshin could smell white plums and his senses calmed completely. He took one of her pale hands in his and held it lightly. He closed his eyes and found himself in a storm of crimson flower petals, fluttering in the air. Then, they began to settle and floated tranquilly downwards. He felt a light breath on his neck.

"I'll always love you Kenshin," Tomoe said softly. "No matter what."

Kenshin opened his eyes and he was back in his own home, still safely wrapped in his wife's arms. "I'll never stop loving you either," Kenshin said, "my Ayame, my Iris."

Tomoe woke to the soft pitter-patter of rain on the roof. She looked to her side and saw her husband lying beside her. _He's so beautiful when he's asleep,_ she thought._ Only a child._ She closed her eyes for a moment and thought about what had been keeping her up all night. After a moment of deep thought, she silently crept from underneath of the blankets and neatly folded them on her futon. She took her lilac shawl and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders. _I hope Enishi is using my umbrella today,_ she thought, her brother's face flashing in her mind. _It must also be raining in Edo._

She slipped on her wooden geta and silently slid open a fusuma. Tomoe crept out into the grey drizzle. Rain washed down her white face, just like it washed away the white snow that still clung to the cold, packed earth. She turned down the rock road and began to walk. She seemed unaware of her surroundings, almost like when she had been drunk, when she had first met Kenshin. _It was you. You made the rain bleed._ "Kenshin," she said softly. She walked for some time, the rain soaking into her, seeping against her skin.

She began to find herself surrounded by snow-covered trees; a path she had taken only the day before. Tomoe uneasily passed by the corpse of a ninja who still had his hand wrapped around a trigger; one that had caused a large explosion She continued walking, shivering in the light shower, until she reached a small clearing. A small shrine, merely a wooden hut, sat in the snow, the rain washing blood onto its weak, wooden foundations. In front of the humble shrine, amid a scene of bloody carnage, a long sword stood stuck in the freezing snow, rain running down its blade, washing away the scarlet that had tainted the steel. The rain began to grow steadily heavier and Tomoe rushed towards the slender sword. She pulled the katana out of the snow and stumbled under its weight.

_It's so heavy,_ she thought._ Yet he can kill with it at a god-like speed._ The rain was pouring now, and it began to flood atop the heavily packed snow. Tomoe began to trudge toward the shrine, dragging the heavy sword behind her. She pushed open the old door and faltered into the small hut. She dropped to her knees and let the katana slip out of her grasp. Every bit of her was soaking and her jet black hair hung in her face. She pushed her dripping bangs out of her eyes and let out a tiny sob for on the floor was a withered pomegranate bloom.

Its deep crimson flowers were dry and stiff, no longer soft and smooth like they should be. She shakily reached out and touched the delicate blossom. A petal broke away from the others and landed on the wooden floor. Tomoe scooped up the flower and held it in two cupped hands.

"My love," she whispered, "are you really proud of me?" A tear rolled down her cheek, mingling with rain drops.

Abruptly, the door behind her banged open and a familiar voice sounded in her ears. "Tomoe!"

Tomoe turned her head and saw her brother standing in the doorway, a royal blue umbrella in his hands. White flowers were printed on the closed parasol. "Enishi!" she said in a worried tone. "Why are you here? I thought I told you to go back to father in Edo!"

"No!" Enishi retorted in an angry tone. "I wasn't going to back to Edo until I saw that assassin's dead body hanging in the streets of Kyoto. And if I ever go back to Edo, I won't be alone!" He directed his gaze strait upon his sister, his onyx eyes harsh and demanding.

Tomoe looked at his twisted, anguished face and saw a mingle of grief, anger, and hatred. "Why do you hate him so, little brother? You don't even know him as a human. You only know him as the monster the Shogunate has created in your mind," she said quietly.

"Why!" Enishi roared. "Why do I hate him? I hate that demon because of what he did to our family! He killed the man you love, the man who was fighting for YOU! HE TOOK YOU AWAY FROM ME!"

Tomoe stood up, letting the pomegranate bloom fall from her gentle hand, its petals scattering across the floor. She looked down at her little brother, her heart aching with love and soft anger. "Enishi," she said gently, "I love you. Now please, go back home."

"But I don't understand!" Enishi cried. "I don't understand! Why are you staying with the devil that killed the man you loved! Why are you letting him live; why are you dishonoring your fiancé!"

Tomoe bent down and cupped Enishi's face in her hands. She looked into his dark eyes. "Because I love him," she said quietly.

Enishi pulled away from her, looking at her with bewildered eyes. He threw down the delicate umbrella and ran into the downpour, splashing in the deep puddles. She watched her brother charge away, then slumped to the floor and waited for the rain to cease.


End file.
